Mir WB

My photo shows a polychrome mosaic depicting Mediterranean marine life using earthy-coloured tesserae (mosaic tiles) against a black tessarae background. At the centre of the mosaic is a pale-coloured octopus composed of off-white and light brown tesserae with some of its writhing tentacles wrapped around the body of a lobster composed of light red, and pinky-brown tesserae. The octopus has an egg shaped body/head and it stares at the viewer with large eyes made of brown and pink circles with black centres. The octopus and lobster are surrounded by various species of large and small Mediterranean fish and a mollusc, including an eel and a flat fish. On the left hand side of the scene there is a small kingfisher bird on top of a rock. Some of the fish appear to be watching the fight between the octopus and the lobster This mosaic comes from the House of the Geometric Mosaics in Pompeii. Now on display at the Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Naples.

Spectacular googly-eyed octopus does battle with a lobster in this 2,000 year-old Roman mosaic from Pompeii! 🐙 🦞

Fantastic fishy onlookers too! 👀

From the House of the Geometric Mosaics. Now at the Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Naples.
📷 by me

#MosaicMonday
#Archaeology

‘She Could Have Killed Me’: Scientist Survives Shark Bite to His Head

I wish they had used this beautiful quote he offered in the story as the headline instead:

“She was scared also. It was not her fault.”

Love a nudibranch

Tell UK Leaders: Ban Bottom Trawling in Marine Protected Areas The UK government has finally announced a plan to ban destructive bottom trawling in 41 offshore MPAs. The catch? It’s not a done deal. A public consultation is open NOW before anything is finalised —...

Trawling being permitted in Marine Protected Areas directly contradicts their purpose. It's pointless and moronic and sad. Tell your MP! only.one/act/uk-mpa-c...

‘Nickname’ is not ‘nick’ + ‘name.’

It was originally ‘ekename.’

‘Eke’ was the Middle English word for “also” or “in addition.”

Since ‘ekename’ began with a vowel, people used ‘an’ before it.

Over time, 'an ekename' became 'a nickname.'

English Roundabouts   They’re making the roundabouts great again by painting the flag of St George to keep our circular road systems safe from the dark, satanic hordes. What do they want? Patriotic junctions! When do they want them? Before it’s too late. Good old-fashioned English roundabouts, as decreed by Alfred the Great. Behold the sacred intersection, this blessed plot, this septic isle. English roundabouts for English people, draped in red and white and bile. St George is cross, as well he may be – whipped-up hate, he’s seen before. Give way to the right, the road signs rage, and the far right most of all. Brian Bilston

Here’s a poem called ‘English Roundabouts’.

We're struggling to do anything but watch this video of the newly discovered bumpy snailfish today.

Right to swim and wild camp in England should be enshrined in law, Labour MPs say Report from group of MPs calls for broader access to rivers, woodlands and fields to improve connection with nature

Labour MPs today call for new legislation to extend a right of responsible access to more English landscapes, and for the right to swim and wild camp to be enshrined in law

@righttoroam.bsky.social inputted to this new report from the APPG for access to nature:

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Ohhh this one is a beauty 😍

Burning banned on England’s deep peat to protect wildlife Ban on burning heather and grass on deep peat extended to improve air quality for local communities, reduce flood risk and protect wildlife.

Great to see that government WILL ban moorland burning on peat deeper than 30cm, and over a much greater area than previously

Big win for communities who've suffered the smoke + floods stemming from this Victorian practice

Only losers are ~150 wealthy grouse moor owners

www.gov.uk/government/n...

Petition: Fund NHS COVID boosters for Clinically Vulnerable people – keep covid boosters 'Protect the NHS' and 'Save Lives' by continuing to fund NHS COVID boosters for Clinically Vulnerable people, including most previously shielded as CEV, rather than limiting them to over-75s, care hom...

Clinically Vulnerable people must not be forgotten. Covid vaccines protect both individuals and NHS services for everyone.

We urgently need to reach 10k.

Please help!

#KeepCovidBoosters
2/
petition.parliament.uk/petitions/73...

I am opposed to AI products and services because of the extra power they require... IN A CLIMATE CRISIS. I am opposed to AI results - texts and illustrations - because they've been created unethically, via theft and non-consensual use of the work of others. Share if you agree.

The most demonic looking koala I've seen...

LPM PHOTO OF THE DAY


Take Part: https://landscapephotographymagazine.com/ulp


Sintra Cascais NP, Portugal by Nuno Luis

A lovely little bunny in scale mail with text that says "We must remain whimsical to survive the horrors of this world" Image by www.lilyseikajones.com, text by someone else (I think)

I post things here that I find interesting, aesthetic, funny, delightful or generally glorious. I like following knowledgeable, creative and extremely silly people. I curate a feed to provide little boost of joy.

It doesn't mean I'm being willfully ignorant or avoiding taking action. It's this:

‘Adamant’ and ‘diamond’ are related.

Both are from 'adámas,' a Greek word that means “material of extreme hardness.”

'Adamantium' is a virtually indestructible man-made steel alloy controversially used in the Weapon X Program.

A close up of a whiplash squid (family Mastigoteuthidae) floating a bit above the sea floor. Most of its limbs are together, with two of them spreading far out, forming a wishbone shape. The limb are on an angle compared to the rest of its body. The squid is a deep red.

A whiplash squid (family Mastigoteuthidae) floating near the sea floor, surrounded by marine snow. The squid's tentacles are extended, and all its arms are pointing down. The squid has a deep red colour, except for the ends of the tentacles which are a slightly red white.

A whiplash squid (family Mastigoteuthidae) floating above the seafloor. The squid has a deep dark red colour. The squid's mantle is pointing up, its arms are horizontal, its tentacles are sheathed and pointing downwards.

A whiplash squid (family Mastigoteuthidae) floating in the ocean. The squid has a deep red colour, except for the ends of the tentacles which are a slightly red white. The squid's mantle and arms are horizontal, while its tentacles are extended and going downwards.

Whip it good!

Whiplash Squids (family Mastigoteuthidae) are a family of squids with very long tentacles, giving them a very silly look. These tentacles can be retracted into special sheaths, which are actually two of their arms.

#SQUIDtember

Historical illustration from 1780-1789 showing a beluga whale partially submerged in water, depicted with a light yellowish body and textured shading. The whale is centered between rocky shorelines with sparse vegetation on both sides. The sea is gently rippled, and faint hills are visible in the distance. Below the image is handwritten text in German and French identifying the whale as "Physeter Albicans Briss." and "Le Cachalot blanc, Der Weißfisch," indicating a white whale species. The overall style is detailed linework with soft color washes typical of 18th-century natural history prints.

🐋 Gemeinnüzzige Naturgeschichte des Thierreichs bd 2 plates
Berlin ;bei Gottlieb August Lange, 1780-1789.

[Source]

When mRNA vaccines are wrongly attacked, this is one of many examples of what you're missing.
A broad spectrum prevention strategy against viruses
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Government style ad in watercolour. Image of a burglar stealing a painting from the wall of a home. Tagline: "It's not theft... if you say you're using it to train your AI algorithm". Body text: "Theft is now legal, so we can boost the economy by eliminating jobs. If that doesn't make any sense, ask a chatbot to explain it to you." HM government logo in the corner.

Did a new one

100% this ⬇️

Whole new worlds deep under the ocean! What incredible pictures of these newly discovered life forms!

Cannot even begin to describe how cool this is

Media release: No deep-sea mining approved as ISA Council ends, despite continued push to start a failing industry - DSCC MEDIA RELEASE – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 21 July 2025 The Deep Sea Conservation Coalition (DSCC) is calling for the international community to urgently establish a moratorium on destructive deep-sea mini...

"No deep-sea mining approved as ISA Council ends, despite continued push to start a failing industry."

See below the DSCC's press release for the closing of the International Seabed Authority's Council Meeting.

deep-sea-conservation.org/media-releas...

#DefendTheDeep #StopTheMachines

ait Borsay: "Do you think climate change exists?" Andrea: "I've said for a long time, we need to ditch net zero and actually focus on economic growth. A million percent." Kait: "But then how do you tackle climate change? And do you believe that climate change exists?" Andrea: "Do I believe that climate change exists? No." Kait: "Okay. So you are not a believer in climate, you know, despite rising global temperatures, melting glaciers, rising sea levels, despite all of that evidence?" Andrea: "It depends. It depends what evidence you look at.... I think it's a way to actually make money." Kait: "Okay. But you don't believe climate change exists. And so that's why there is no need for net zero, in your opinion." Andrea: "Absolutely. And I think it's harming industry. I think it's a money making racket where certain businesses and individuals are making money out of it."

Reform mayor Andrea Jenkyns tells Times Radio that she doesn’t believe climate change exists, and that it’s just a “racket” for some people to make money. If Reform win the next election, the UK could become a very different place quite quickly.

Absolutely love this incredibly goofy portrayal of my favourite taxonomic class

The Coral Probiotics Village: An Underwater Laboratory to Tackle the Coral Reefs Crisis The Coral Probiotics Village is the first underwater laboratory using an integrated and holistic approach to test innovative solutions to rehabilitate coral reefs, with a main focus on the use of mic...

The coral reef crisis is due in large part to the combustion of fossil fuels.

Saudi Arabia funded this research on "innovative solutions".

The authors claim no conflict of interest.

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

A photo of our woodland

Designated Ancient Woodland:

English land continuously wooded since at least 1600 AD, but likely since the last Ice Age

It signifies a habitat with a rich history, unique ecological characteristics developed over centuries, & high biodiversity value

Considered irreplaceable

Block of rock with a length of the thin tail vertebrae of a fossil fish and attached museum labels.

#FossilFriday: the tail of Squaloraja polyspondyla. Found by #MaryAnning in 1829, the rest of the skeleton was sold to Bristol Museum, but the tail went to Elizabeth Philpot and is now @morethanadodo.bsky.social. It's the only surviving part as the skeleton was lost when Bristol was bombed in WW2.